2000 Milers

Completing the entire estimated 2,1​90 miles of the Appalachian Trail in one trip is a mammoth undertaking. Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a thru-hike; only about one in four make it all the way.

2000 Miler Listing

Each year the names of those who have reported hike completions in the previous 12 months are published in the spring issue of the A.T. Journeys magazine; the deadline is December 31 of the previous year. Our complete on-line 2,000-miler listing of all years is updated periodically.

A.T. Hiker Photo Archive

Between January and April 2009, 12,779 ​Polaroid photos representing over 18,000 Appalachian Trail hikers were carefully removed from old notebooks, barcoded, scanned at 600 dpi, and placed into archival quality sleeves and slip-covered albums.​

Interesting Facts

The number of people hiking the entire Trail has risen dramatically over the years. From 1936 to 1969, only 59 completions are recorded. In 1970, the numbers began to rise. Ten people completed the Trail in 1970, including Ed Garvey, whose thru-hike was well-publicized. The trend was further fueled by the release of Garvey's popular book, Appalachian Hiker: Adventure of a Lifetime. The term “2,000-miler” was coined in the late 1970s to help identify this growing group of hikers.

By 1980, the total number of 2,000-milers had increased more than ten-fold. The total had doubled by 1990 and again by 2000. More hike completions were reported for the year 2000 alone than in the first 40 years combined. The 10,000th hike completion was recorded in 2008.

In the trail's first several decades, women represented only about 15% of those who completed the entire A.T. Trends are changing, though. In 2016, women represented 29% of the total hike completions reported.

Hikers of a wide range of ages have completed the A.T. While more than half of all thru-hikers are in their 20s, many people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s have thru-hiked the A.T. The number of thru-hikers in their 60s is fewer than 500, and only about 25 people age 70 and above have completed thru-hikes.One person was 81 when he completed his 5th hike of the entire A.T. Teens comprise about four percent of thru-hikers; a very small number of children have completed the A.T. with their parents. Section-hikers tend to be older, with a median age of 40. Their ages at the time of their hike completions have ranged from 15 to 86.

2,000-Milers by Decade

1930s

5

1940s

3

1950s

14

1960s

37

1970s

785

1980s

1,430

1990s

3,337

2000s

5,948

2010-2017

6,807

Total

18,366

Noteworthy 2000​-Milers

Myron Avery

First 2,000-miler

In 1936, ATC Chair Myron Avery became the first “2,000-miler,” which he accomplished primarily in the process of flagging and measuring the original A.T. route.

Early section-hikers

Five others reported completing the entire Trail between 1939 and 1946, including a 1939 completion by George W. Outerbridge, who now has a shelter named after him just south of Lehigh Gap, Pennsylvania, on the first stretch of Trail he completed in 1932.

Hikers with disabilities

Although hiking the entire Appalachian Trail is a demanding endeavor for a person in the best physical condition and optimal health, hikers with a variety of disabilities have successfully completed the entire A.T. These include several blind hikers, an above-the-knee amputee, hikers with diabetes, and organ transplantees.

Grandma Gatewood

First female thru-hiker

Mildred Norman is the earliest female thru-hiker on record, having reported a flip-flop hike in 1952. Under the name "Peace Pilgrim", Norman later walked over 25,000 miles throughout North America.

First solo female thru-hiker

Emma Gatewood, better known as “Grandma Gatewood,” mother of 11 children and grandmother of 23, was 67 when she first hiked the Trail in 1955. In 1957, she completed her second thru-hike at age 69. In 1964, she became the first person to complete the A.T. three times when she finished a section-hike. She was famous for wearing only “Keds” tennis shoes and carrying a small knapsack.

Earl Shaffer

First reported thru-hiker

In 1948, Earl V. Shaffer became the first to report a thru-hike, walking the entire Trail from Georgia to Maine. He was a World War II veteran. Part of the reason he was drawn to hike the A.T. was to "walk the Army out of his system." He chose to start in Georgia so he could, as he said, "walk north with spring." In 1965, he hiked again—this time from Maine to Georgia. On his third thru-hike, 50 years after his first, he became the oldest thru-hiker at age 79, a distinction he held until 2004. His memoir about his first thru-hike, Walking With Spring, is still in print.

201​7 Hiker Counts​(updated November 9, 2017)

Northbound Thru-Hike (Georgia to Maine in 12 Months)

Springer Mtn., Ga. (estimated)

​3839

Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

1723

Baxter State Park, Maine

1383

Completions reported

307*

Southbound Thru-Hike (Maine to Georgia in 12 Months)

Baxter State Park, Maine

​497

Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

​219*

Completions Reported

12*

​Flip Flop Thru-Hike (entire Trail, non-contiguous, in 12 Months)

Harpers Ferry, W.Va.**

373*

Baxter State Park, Maine

332

Completions reported

41*

Section(more than 12 Months)

Harpers Ferry, W. Va.

621*

Completions reported

99*

*Numbers are incomplete for 2017 and will continue to increase.

**Flip flop thru-hikers start at any location along the entire A.T. and change their direction or sequence of travel at some point. Harpers Ferry, West Virginia is the most popular starting location for a flip flop thru-hike--and thus represents the beginning for some. However, Harpers Ferry could be reached 100 miles, 1000 miles, or even 2000 miles into ​the journeys of other flip-floppers. ​Therefore the number here does not represent either the number of starters or the number that have made it halfway. (The alternative itineraries of flip-floppers help disperse use and reduce the social and resource impacts associated with crowded conditions that occur at the southern end of the Trail during the traditional northbound thru-hiker season).

It's estimated that 2-3 million visitors hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail each year. Most enjoy day hikes and short backpacking trips, but each year a small fraction of those hikers complete the entire Trail. How many? Since 1936, more than 18,300 hike completions have been recorded by ATC. This includes thru-hikes and multi-year section-hikes. We refer to anyone who ​reports their completion of the entire A.T. as a “2,000-miler.”

2000-Milers in Recent Years

2,000-milers

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Total completions recorded:

616

649

720

839

879

985

1034

1110

Northbound

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Springer Mountain, Ga. (est.)

1,460

1,700

2,100

2,250

2,500

2,700

3,377

Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

747

849

1017

1,130

1,270

1,383

1,537

​Completions Reported

433

467

549

589

690

677

685

Completion rate:

30%

27%

26%

26%

26%

25%

20%

Northbound thru-hikers walk from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Katahdin in Maine in ​12 months or less.

Southbound

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Katahdin, Maine

256

282

282

336

276

411

490

Kennebec Ferry, Maine
(152 miles)

N/A

209

293

N/A

262

307

420

Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

115

135

184

167

169

196

263

​Completions Reported

50

84

80

96

83

90

123

Completion rate:

20%

30%

21%

28%

30%

22%

25%

Southbound thru-hikers walk from Katahdin to Springer Mountain in ​12 months or less.

Flip flop

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Completions Reported

40

39

63

53

72

89

139

Flip flop thru-hikers complete the Trail in twelve months or less, but start and/or end at a location other than the southern or northern end.

Section

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Completions Reported

126

130

147

141

140

178

163

Section-hikers complete the Trail in pieces, taking more than 12 months. Some may complete the A.T. in two or three summers, others may ​complete the Trail on shorter trips over a decade or more.

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The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail - ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come.